SEISMICITY of NORTHERN EURASIA in 2016–2017

Abstract

The review of the seismicity of Northern Eurasia in 2016–2017 contains a description of seismic networks, features of the seismic regime and individual significant earthquakes in 16 regions of Russia and neighboring countries. Seismic monitoring of this territory was carried out by networks of seismic stations in Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. In most regions, the seismic process proceeded in the "background" mode. In Northern Eurasia as a whole, a decrease in the seismic energy released in 2016 was noted relative to its long-term average value, which was also observed in 2015. The increase in the released energy in 2017 did not lead to reaching the level of 2015. The Near Aleutian earthquake on July 17, 2017 with Mw=7.8 was the maximum for the period under consideration. It was one of the strongest instrumentally recorded events in the western part of the Aleutian arc. The maximum shaking intensity in the territory of Northern Eurasia (I=7) was caused by two earthquakes – the Aketao earthquake on November 25, 2016 with Mw=6.6, localized in China, near its borders with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and the Karamyk earthquake on May 3, 2017 with Mw=6.0, Tajikistan. Seismic activity of platform territories is confirmed by the Mariupol earthquake on August 7, 2016 with Mw=4.6 and intensity I=5 in Mariupol.